I am quoting from this book. Lets see what a philosopher, Lao-tzu, said in the 17th verse of Tao Te Ching some 2500 year ago about the Leaders.

With the greatest leader above then, people barely know one exists.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Next comes one whom they despise and defy.

When a leader trusts no one, no one trusts him.

The great leader speaks little.
He never speaks carelessly.
He works without self-interest and leaves no trace.
When all is finished, the people say, “We did it ourselves.”

In the case of this post, we got to keep in mind that verse talks about ‘greatest leader’. I think- there are still people who exhibit such qualities and making people’s life better. What you think? What did your interpretation of this verse?

I read many books in 2007 and one of the best that I want to mention here is What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There byMarshall Goldsmith.This book is all about how successful people become even more successful. There are tons of books on leadership and management out there but this is something. In my case, book had very good title that got my attention plus it had Ford CEO AlanMullaly‘s recommendation on the dust jacket, I decided to give it a try. The book was a wonderful read, I read it very slowly enjoying each page filled with new insights and examples – just like I am sipping tea in early spring morning.

Sometimes people get to almost at top by dedication, integrity and excellent work, and then do not get there (to the real topand achieve greatness and may be fame as well). There are many factors contributing to get there but author has identified 20 habits that hold person from getting there. These are very common bad habits that cost a lot in long run such as – not listening, beginning conversation with ‘but‘, speaking when angry, playing favorites, etc.

The beauty is the way author has explained these common habits and their impacts on others in organization is just like a sage speaking to you. I have heard from many of my peers and seniors who read the book on my recommendations, came to me and thanked me. I hope I get a chance to meet him personally and I would pass all those thanks to Marshall for writing such a nice book. If we are getting such an advice compiled in a book, its the best deal for your career.

I am glad that I read it and would recommend to all leaders, aspiring leaders and managers to read it with open mind and make our organizations more successful and in return we also grow with others. Let me know what you find out.

Judge your success by the degree that you’re enjoying peace, health, and love.

Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.

Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.

Be charitable in your speech, actions, and judgement.

Remember that a minute of anger denies you sixty seconds of happiness.

In 2004, my sisterly friend Seema gifted me this excellent book called “The Complete Life’s Little Instruction Book”. It has 1560 instructions in it and all are gems. This book has helped me a lot in aligning/adjusting my thoughts and actions. Thanks for the gift and I would like to add one point from my side –

6. Give the gift of positive books, you never know how it will shape someone future.

It was my first book from Seth Godin, and he talks about strategic quitting in this book. Here is my own interpretation of

What is a dip – its a temporary situation when you feel like stuck, the results are not convincing and success seems impossible. Dip can also be considered as a situation similar to a dead-end assignment with no progress and feel like wasting time and energy.

Strategic quitting is good – when we know things won’t work out in our favor or input exceeds far beyond the value of output; quitting can be right choice. Its similar to cancelling the project or closing a business when things are not working out the way expected (no profit).

When to stick– is this goal worth pursuing or not? Are you having fun doing this work, learning some new skills and also extracting some future benefits? Can you treat it as sharpening your saw (skill) for the next move? Can you treat it as launch pad? Yes, then sticking is good.

Is it possible to know if its right time to quit – personally, I do not think so. One has to take chances. The point is, if you quit- quit without guilt. If you plan to stick and later find out that you are going nowhere; do not make it an issue of pride; if quitting is the right thing; just do it. If you have some clue that you can get out of the dip and it will be great reward at the end – hang in there.

My Take– Strategic quitting is just like a well thought out Exit Plan. Every opportunity has at least some risks involved and an exit plan is always needed. Dip is a risk if we are not equipped and inspired to get out of it. Risk planning tells us that we should have some contingency plan in place and build plans to avoid and react to the risk. One size does not fit all in this case and Seth Godin does not claim to offer any formula; but gives a perspective, another option to consider.

What you think? Did I get it right? I am open for your suggestions. You can find more info on Phil Windley’s Technometrial page on The Dip here.